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Rating: 4/5 stars
Overview:
When Anna was little, she and her mother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, they called it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother's mysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beach where her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love.
Reluctant to get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having to start at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the length of the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting a lifeguard named Tyler, she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandoned houses that dot the beach.
But when learning more about her mother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire for solitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.
My Review:
I've always been a sucker for coming of age books, mainly because it's the genre I want to write. So when I heard about Moonglass, (from Sarah Dessen of course) I knew it must be something special. So driving down to Barnes and Nobles in a hurry, I picked it up, eager to read it. And it didn't disappoint.
The story starts off with Anna, a girl who's mother died and has been living with her father for the past ten years. She's obviously distant, when her father tells her they are moving. Tension between her and her father builds as she later finds out the new little town they moved into, was the place that her father and mother first met. She soon starts to uncover secrets about her mother, most of it having to do with the sea glass she collects.
With numerous flashbacks, Kirby begins to tell the story of Anna.
When I first started reading this book, I was unsure about how it might turn out. The story line was solid, but the main character and a few secondary characters didn't seem real to me, a little under developed. Although as the story continued, I got a better feel about Anna and her story. The only character I had a problem with from beginning to end, was the guy. Or rather, Tyler. To me it seemed we never really got to know much about him, there still seemed to be some secrets that were untold. He seemed to be lacking in development; as if he had no back bone. And to me, the guy in any coming of age story is very important, especially when they're supposed to have an effect on the main character. Which was why this book lost that last star for me.
The story line though, was what kept me hooked. From beginning to end, Anna kept us guessing about her mother, and the stories and secrets she left behind. All the questions the readers had were answered in the end, with some very memorable quotes. It was a heart breaking story about love and loss. There are some tear jerking moments, and some laugh out loud scenes. Overall this book was worth getting, without the shaky start it might have been worth five stars. Although great none the less. It's a book I would be carrying around with me for a long time. A coming of age book that would hit close to any young woman's heart. Now go get it!
